A Cat is a Mech's Best Friend
by eeyop1428
Summary: G1: Cats may be finicky and selfish creatures at times, but even they are capable of saving lives, which is proven by one certain robotic feline when least expected.


Disclaimer: I do not own The Transformers animated series/show, they belong to toy manufacturer Takara and American company Hasbro. This fanfiction is merely for the sole purpose of entertainment and not for selling/profiting purposes.

Key terms:

\\\\\\\\\\ Change in time (time moved forwards/backwards)

* * *

A Cat is a Mech's Best Friend

"...and so, that's why you should never trust simulations. You never know when they're tellin' the truth or... what they would say to you," drawled Skywarp and pointed a wavering finger at Starscream. He took a gulp from his cube.

Thundercracker looked amused, Starscream unimpressed.

"I think you've had one too many high grade, Skywarp," said Starscream.

"And you've had one too less," said Skywarp. "Look at you, you're so sober. You're never any fun. That's why you should drink some more."

"And end up like you? I don't think so. I have something called dignity, Skywarp, and self-control too. Unlike some mechs."

"Look who's talkin'," said Thundercracker in his cube.

"Good one, TC," laughed Skywarp.

"Both of you should shut up if you know what's good for you."

"Temper, temper, Starscream. Wouldn't want ya' to burst a pipe." Skywarp chuckled.

"I'm warning you, don't test me. Unless you want a face full of null ray, then I'd be happy to give it to you."

"That's where you're wrong, 'Screamy," said Skywarp. He smirked.

"What?"

"You won't fire at me if I have this," he held a disk, extracted from his wrist compartment, at face level, "in front of me."

"...And that's supposed to stop me how?"

Skywarp's smirk increased. "It's a very important disk of yours. I doubt you would want to destroy it just to teach me a lesson. I snuck it from your quarters, along with a few other things. They really come in handy when I need protection from you. Who's the smart mech now?"

"Th-That!" Starscream started. "So that's how some of my equipment went missing! You little thief, give it back now!"

Skywarp withdrew the disk out of Starscream's reach. "Ho-ho! If you want this back, you gotta do what I say, got it?"

Starscream glared daggers into Skywarp's optics, but it did nothing to weaken his arrogance. The high grade's effect on him seemed to have sharpened his ability for tricks, or had worn out to allow Skywarp to be more alert than his previously over-energised state.

"Are you blackmailing me, you slagger?"

"What does it look like?" Skywarp twirled the disk by its middle in playfulness, which enticed Starscream's anger even more so.

They stared hard at each other until Thundercracker stepped in.

"Okay, that's enough, you two," he said. "Not that I don't enjoy watching a brawl every now and then, but this is my break time and I'm not in the mood for my drink to be spilling out of my hand once both of you start going for each other's throats. So, 'Warp, give him back the disk."

"What! You're just as bad as Starscream, all so serious all the time. Lighten up a little, will ya'? I'm just tryin' to have some fun."

"I'll 'lighten up' once you give it back to him."

"Heh, you heard him," said Starscream and stuck out a palm to receive it.

Skywarp smiled and went to hand him the disk. "Okay."

When it was almost in Starscream's hand it was flung at his forehead instead; it fell and clattered under the table.

"There you go, you can have it!" said Skywarp. "I have plenty more where that came from anyway."

Starscream rubbed his head. His other hand groped for the disk, but he kept his optics on Skywarp.

"You are an imbecile unworthy of existence!"

"Like I haven't heard that one before. It was a good shot, though. I'm getting better."

Thundercracker chuckled.

"You'll regret stealing my belongings, I'll make sure of –"

A sharp pain in his hand stopped him, in which he immediately pulled out from under the table with a yell, stood up and swung whatever was causing it from him. The thing that was attached to his hand sailed through the air and flipped to land on all fours. It licked its fangs in savour.

"Ravage! Why you stupid creature!" shouted Starscream.

On his hand were four punctures, two at the top and two and the bottom. An oily substance was oozing out of them and dripping to the floor. Starscream berated Ravage with a new rage, his unharmed hand thrust out in a fist.

"Ravage, what the frag was that for, you idiot! How dare you do that to me!"

Ravage gave a low growl.

"So you won't apologise. Then I'll make you." Starscream stepped forward and readied his null ray.

Ravage snarled and swiped the air in front of him. He retreated backwards swiftly. At the moment Starscream was about to fire Soundwave blocked his aim with his body.

"Get out of the way, Soundwave. That metallic feline needs to be put down."

Behind his guardian Ravage growled aggressively, body tensed to the ground. Soundwave didn't move.

"Harm to Ravage: Unacceptable. Consequence: Deadly."

Starscream held the other's look, then displayed his bitten hand. "This is what he did to me!"

"Action was involuntary. Merely reflex."

"You call this a reflex? He attacked me! What do you have him set on? Kill?"

"Set on nothing. You startled him: That is all."

"And that's all it takes to make him bite a hundred tonnes in power? That thing is dangerous! Lying under the table is suspicious enough. He was probably waiting for me to put my hand down so he could snack on it!"

"He must've got a bad taste outta that," Skywarp muttered to Thundercracker.

"Reason: Unlikely. Logic is impaired. I repeat: Do not harm Ravage."

Starscream looked from Soundwave to the cassette and narrowed his optics. "You'd better keep that thing on a leash. Or else next time I won't be so merciful."

He walked away and examined his hand. Near the exit he shouted: "Right through the circuits!" and left.

\\\\\\\\\\ "There it is, Decepticons: the Solar Energy Plant. Collect every last drop of energon it can offer. Go!"

The Decepticons did as they were ordered and dived to the site. The humans in the area broke out into a running panic when they landed in their midst. The Decepticons went to the devices that absorbed sunlight energy and began the process of converting it into energon.

"Soundwave," said Megatron, "have your cassettes patrol the area for any sign of incoming Autobots. I want to be notified as soon as they arrive."

"Yes, Megatron. Lazerbeak, Buzzsaw, Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage: Eject. Operation: Look-out."

Rumble landed on his feet. "Sure thing, boss."

The cassettes separated and spread out across the perimeter of the Solar Plant.

"Can't wait to see your buddy Optimus Prime?" said Starscream, behind Megatron.

"Better him than you," said Megatron. "But contrary to your clever presumption, I am not looking forward to seeing him. I don't want him interrupting our raid unexpectedly."

"Huh, right. Very good plan, Megatron," said Starscream with sarcasm. "And yet he always manages to ruin your plans one way or another. Why bother?" He lifted his palms and shrugged his shoulders.

"And you think you can do any better? I'd hate to see you try, though I have done so several times; all of said attempts failed." Megatron placed a hand on his hip.

Starscream clenched his dentals. "I _know_ I can do better. You just wait. One of these cycles you'll slip and _I _will be seen as the rightful leader."

"You and I both know that is not going to happen any time soon, and never will. You are deluded, Starscream. Quit believing in fantasy and wake up."

"I am very awake, Megatron. I can clearly see myself as the future leader of the Decepticons. I'll surpass you one solar cycle. Make sure you prepare for it."

"That remains to be seen. As for the present moment, get to work collecting the energon with the others. You are not exempt from this order."

"A menial job unworthy of my attention. I deserve one that befits my position. Such as the role of leader."

"Fool! You'll do as I say or face punishment."

"Like what? Dispose of me? You're the fool, Megatron. You need me and you know it. I am one of the most capable mechanisms on your side. You won't get rid of me that easily."

Megatron's face hardened. "That is the only reason you're not obliterated into cosmic dust."

"Heh, I'll take that as a compliment. I'm too good to be destroyed."

"Peh. If you have nothing to do but show me how vain you are I suggest you do something more productive that would gain some merit at least."

"I'll show my talents in battle, there's no sense in wasting them here."

"That's what you think," said Megatron. "Go and join one of the cassetticons on sentry duty, since you seem to have so much free time."

"What? Sentry duty? That is below me, the great Starscream." The Seeker pointed a thumb at himself.

"You are too above yourself. Comply or I'll give you something to complain about." Megatron aimed his cannon at him.

"You play a hard bargain. But very well," said Starscream, who scowled. "Where are they?"

Megatron turned to his right. "Try that way."

"As you wish." Starscream stepped past him and gave a parting glare before transforming.

"Finally, Soundwave, peace and quiet," said Megatron.

"My sentiments exactly," said Soundwave.

Starscream followed the energy signature below him within the pine trees. He touched down when he got closer and threaded his way through the trees, careful not to bump his wings into them. He came upon a small clearing where a giant rock sat tall ahead of him. A dark figure appeared from the side of it and watched Starscream with wary optics.

Starscream made an annoyed sound. "Just great. I have to be paired with you of all cassettes."

Ravage continued watching him.

Starscream crossed his arms. "I still haven't forgotten that bite you gave me. Don't think I've forgiven you just yet. Or ever."

Ravage padded to the base of the rock where its side was lowest. He jumped on it to the top and resumed his scouting across the sea of pine trees. Starscream sidled a bit closer a metre or two from the rock. He gazed around him.

"I can't believe I'm stuck here when I could be doing something much better. How dare Megatron insult me like this. He doesn't treat me with enough respect. No, more like he doesn't treat me with respect at all; he thinks he's the most powerful mech in the universe. Well, he's got another thing coming to him." He looked to Ravage. "Silent as always? Just as long as you stay out of my way. I'll leave the boring job to you."

Half an hour later Ravage made a deep growl.

Starscream looked up. "What is it, Ravage? Is it the Autobots?"

To confirm his answer a red light flickered on Ravage's head in which Starscream could identify as a warning signal to Soundwave. He uncrossed his arms.

"So they're finally here."

His null ray cannons gathered energy and the tips of the barrels glowed violet. A tree branch ahead of him was jostled; he thrust a null ray in its direction, optics focused for any movement.

"Show yourself, Autobot, and face me!"

When nothing happened Starscream thought the enemy was travelling in between the trees to stay hidden, so he darted his optics to other places in the hopes of catching him by sight.

"Coward! Come out and fight!"

A fist to the side of his head answered his call and he toppled to the ground. An invisible force crushed his chest, which made him gasp.

"I am out, Starscream. You just couldn't see me," said a voice.

Golden bars drew themselves above Starscream and inside their rectangular casing was Mirage aiming a laser rifle at him.

Starscream sneered. "Nice trick, Autobot. You succeeded in subduing me."

"Praise coming from you? I feel so honoured."

"Don't think that I meant it, idiot. You just got lucky."

"You're too proud to admit your own mistakes. That's what will cost you."

"Heh, such wise words. You'd better be sure to mind your own mistakes."

"Unlike you."

Starscream only smirked, which made Mirage take on a puzzled look. The sound of rapid footsteps caused him to turn his head: Ravage was running in full speed to where he was. Mirage switched the rifle from Starscream to Ravage in an instant and fired, but the cassette dodged it. Before another shot could be made Ravaged charged into Mirage's mid-section, and the rifle flew out of his hand. Mirage cried out and was sent to the ground with Ravage pinning him down.

Starscream stood up, picked up the fallen weapon and imitated the Autobot's previous stance of aiming at him.

"I warned you, Autobot, but you didn't listen, did you? Now whose mistake will cost them?" He smiled then, amused by Mirage's horrified look and readied to shoot.

Suddenly Ravage was hit on the side by a yellow laser and was forced off Mirage. A second laser bullet removed the rifle from Starscream's hand. He faced the source of the assault and backed away with Ravage. From the forest emerged more Autobots, Prime in the lead. There were at least a dozen of them.

"Looks like the tables have turned against you, Starscream," said Mirage. "I'd love to continue our friendly discussion but I'd rather be with my comrades. They make better company." He transformed. "See ya'!"

"Why you –!" Starscream fired several shots at him but his invisibility cloak helped him to avoid getting hit.

"Attack, Autobots!" commanded Prime, and they proceeded to shoot the two Decepticons.

Starscream ducked from a laser bullet to the head. "Split up! We're sitting targets!"

He launched himself upwards and transformed. Ravage made off into the forest. After gaining enough altitude Starscream looped round and unleashed null ray blasts over the Autobots, who returned the attack. He tapped into his COM link.

"Thundercracker, Skywarp, I need assistance."

He changed his course of flight in which his new line of sight showed him another battle had started at the opposite side of the Solar Plant by the billows of black smoke rising from it.

"So much for preventing a surprise, Megatron," he said.

Then he was hit.

\\\\\\\\\\ The battle waged on with most of the flying Decepticons fighting on the ground. The trees gave the Autobots the advantage of cover and surprise attacks from below, in which the fliers did not have, and made it all the more difficult for them to predict attacks. Yet on the ground their wings were obstructed by the trees whenever they made a wide turn, thus they took their combat into open spaces. The winning tide seemed to be with the Decepticons; the Constructicons had combined into Devastator and was knocking down trees in a frenzied fury. His roaring and towering height impeded the Autobots' efforts.

Elsewhere from this destructive force, Starscream elbowed Bluestreak on the neck and then side-kicked him in the abdomen to incapacitate him. Starscream gloated over his opponent.

"You dared to take on the almighty Starscream? Haha! You couldn't even land one punch! So much for you."

"How about trying me on for size then, Starscream?"

The Seeker jump-rolled out of the way of a stream of tar and stopped in front of a large cave. He fired at Ironhide but he avoided his shots by side-stepping quickly and fired his own laser rifle. It hit Starscream on the arm, which extracted a yell of pain and brought him down to one knee.

"Was that good enough for you, Decepticon?" Ironhide transformed his hand into a hatch. "Let's cool you down a bit."

A black creature pounced onto his arm and clamped its fangs and claws into it. The sudden action caused Ironhide to jerk his arm straight up; liquid nitrogen spewed out and splashed behind him in heaps. When it ran out Ironhide back-fisted the cat off his arm with a grunt. Preoccupied, he couldn't prepare for a null ray blast to the chest, when sent him landing on his back and sliding across his misaimed chemical.

Starscream stood up, fist clenched. "Stop meddling in my fights, you stupid fool! I could've handled him myself!"

Ravage growled in spurts at him, which he could only translate as a retort claiming the contrary of what he had just said: that he was too injured to fight back.

"Shut up! I would've destroyed him anyway, if you hadn't interfered. Now get lost before I –"

A missile exploded at a near area from them.

"What the frag?" exclaimed Starscream.

But they had no time to contemplate where and whom the missile belonged to – another one sunk into the forest and blew up in flames at a dangerous proximity. Then one more crashed into the ground metres from them and blasted them right into the cave behind them. A shower of rocks piled steadily fast by the impact of missiles over the cave's opening, and they saw no more.

\\\\\\\\\\ Slits of red light widened in the blackness. They blinked. Their owner tried to stand but a jolt of pain in his left paw pulled him back down. Diagnostics ran in his CPU and told him some of the binding linkages connecting his paw to his forearm have been torn off. There were minor case injuries on the rest of his body, mainly dents and damaged motor circuitry in non-fatal parts.

Ravage activated his dark-vision; objects and walls appeared green on light areas, coupled with shadow. His head snapped up. Before him a prone Starscream was half-buried under chunks of stone by the entrance of the cave. He was unconscious.

Ravage pushed himself up using his good limbs somewhat slowly and limped to the buried side of Starscream near his head. He nudged Starscream's face with his nose to rouse him awake but it didn't work. Instead he began removing the rocks from off of his wing and arm. When they were mostly gone he tried to lift Starscream's shoulder to tip him onto his back, which he found difficult, for the mech was heavier than him and the pain in his paw was deterring him from trying harder.

There came a sound from Starscream, a murmuring, and he was moving slightly. Ravaged nudged his face once more, this time getting a response.

"Urr... mm... what?"

Starscream opened his optics a little and closed them again. But Ravage persisted until Starscream regained more consciousness. He re-attempted lifting his shoulder, which made Starscream move with the motion now that he was awake. He dropped on his back with a clunk and mumbled.

"Mmm... what? ...Who's... who's that?"

Starscream opened his optics fully. He at first couldn't fathom what the two red lights were above him. They came down and a soft sound, like a vibration, was emitted from the lights. They shut and opened again in a millisecond and a cat-like sound was made. He realised who it was peering into his face. Starscream shoved him on the chest.

"Get away from me!"

Ravage snarled and hopped back a few paces.

Starscream groaned. "What... what the slag just happened? Where...? Argh, my slagging head." He saw Ravage step closer again at the corner of his optic. "I said get away, Ravage. What the slag don't you understand in that? Ngh."

A sharp, stinging pain made itself known in his chest. He cringed. He touched his chest to feel it was deeper than normal, and that parts of his armour were missing by the irregular edges where they had broken off. He raised his hand and saw a sheen of luminous fluid coating his fingers.

"F-Frag."

Almost in response Starscream's internal diagnostics reported that over half of his outer chest armour was gone, energon levels were just below fifty per cent, and his spark chamber was exposed and vulnerable to outside damage. He half-closed his optics and clenched his dentals. His diagnostics concluded that an emergency stasis should take over and direct energy to internal repairs to maximise their work and replenish energon levels faster.

Starscream allowed the command to go forward. A timed countdown for the stasis to begin showed in his sight.

"Looks like this place will be my tomb," he said and grinned in irony. "Figures I might have to die with you as an audience and in the very Pits of Earth. What a glorious end."

Ravage only blinked. Ten seconds were left.

"Listen, Ravage, if I find any part of me is not where it should be when I come out of stasis I'll personally rip out your energon converter and take it back. Through your mouth. Got that? So don't think about... eating... any... thing."

Starscream shut his optics and he was out. Ravage then dared to go towards him. He poked Starscream's face with a paw to see if he was really offline. He stayed still. Ravage looked into the spark chamber; the spark itself was beating at a slow pace due to the inactivity of most of Starscream's systems. It shone faintly blue from its spherical home, half-shielded by the intact armour.

Ravage leaned in and bit down. In his jaws was a rounded rock. He threw it away. On the ground where Starscream was before was a patch of drying fluid, leaked from his open chest, and glowing a little in the darkness. More fluid was seeping from the wound, staining his sides and the earth. But it was not hastily escaping from it; the internal repairs were already preventing more from being lost and were taking care of the torn tube vessels.

Ravage sniffed the spilt fluid on Starscream's flank and started licking it off. He licked around his muzzled afterwards. The cassette surveyed what else was inside the cave and spotted pieces of metal, big and small, he recognised belonging to Starscream and him scattered in places. He stood up and, minding his broken paw, collected the pieces and piled them in one place, separating the ones that were his from Starscream's. Once that was done Ravage, with meticulousness, began sorting through which pieces of his fit together, like a jigsaw puzzle.

He laid his left paw flat on the ground, hung on by a mere few linking wires to his forearm. Then from his other paw protracted a soldering needle, with which he connected the pieces back onto his paw over the inner circuitry, and held the pieces in place with his mouth for support. Sparks flew and filled the cave with light each time the needle made contact with his alloy skin.

He finished and bent his partially mended paw up and down. Pain remained but it was dull. He next relocated Starscream's parts to a more convenient place for him to reach next to the body. With the same precision he used for himself Ravage fitted the pieces correctly the best he could and, figuring out which area the pieces rightly settled into, he soldered each one onto Starscream's front.

Not all the pieces could be salvaged but Ravage aimed to provide protection over the spark chamber, thus he cut off segments of moderately large metal in order for him to modify their size to accommodate them being put in a different area of the chest. Although doing that left portions on both sides unfilled, compared to the exposed spark, it was not life-threatening.

Ravage scrutinised his repair work. When satisfied he moved away some from Starscream's side and lay down. He rested his head on his good paw, his weaker one under his neck, and shut his optics.

\\\\\\\\\\ Starscream's systems came back online gradually. He opened his optics. His CPU informed him of his current condition: energon levels had risen to optimum capacity, intricate circuits were repaired and his spark chamber was no longer in danger but sealed safely from outside atmosphere and was stable. At that Starscream was incredulous that his body was capable of repairing external damage as well as internal. He felt that his front was indeed back to normal, with some incomplete areas on it, when he brought his hand to it.

Starscream sat up and looked around him in the darkness. He couldn't distinguish much from the light of his optics. A square torch erected from his shoulder to provide better vision and he could then surmise that he was inside a confined dwelling upon seeing walls to his side, above and ahead of him; a pile of rocky debris faced his other side.

Something shifted nearby; the torch was aimed to the source. He jerked back at the sight of Ravage but in a moment calmed down.

"Ravage," he breathed. "It's just you."

Ravage was blocking the light from his optics with a paw and made an irritated sound.

"Heh, sorry, forgot your optic sensors are overly sensitive to light," said Starscream and moved the torch lower.

Now two red ovals stared at him.

"Care to enlighten me on our location?"

Ravage blinked.

"Great, you don't know. Well that's just wonderful. Though one thing's for sure: we're definitely not one with the Allspark. Unless the Allspark is nothing more than an empty pocket of rock and dirt."

Starscream gave attention to his upper body and smoothed his fingers over the rough repairs. There were some openings on him but they were moderate to small in size and seemed to pose no problem. His spark chamber, before out in the air, was now contained. Swelled up alloy indicated that heat was applied and melted the alloy to glue it onto him when it hardened again, to make a self-bandage as it were.

Starscream noticed that his chest was covered with raised bumps and lines, bits of it not in their usual positions, looking like mutilated flesh healing into an unsightly scar.

"Ravage, did you do this?"

The cat nodded.

Starscream broke optic contact with him after a few seconds and said: "We need to contact headquarters and let them know where we are. Wherever we are."

A panel on Ravage's forearm revealed a blinking red light. It was lifted up for Starscream to see.

"What is that? A homing beacon? ...More like a distress beacon. Good work, Ravage. They'll come for us for sure now. And get us out of this wretched place."

He started moving himself backwards and leaned on the wall. He explored the cave with the torch some more and saw only brown-grey stone. There was a sound of movement from Ravage; the torch showed he was lying down, optics closed. Starscream switched it off.

A thin stream of sunlight pierced the gloom in the cave across from him; the sunlight entered through a slight gap between the rocks barring the Decepticons' freedom. Dust caught the sunlight when they floated in it.

Starscream watched the dust and listened for noise of the other Decepticons or anything arriving as help. When a while of silence had passed, Starscream succumbed to recharge and closed his own optics.

\\\\\\\\\\ Voices dragged Starscream out of rest. Muffled calling of his and Ravage's name reached them from outside. Starscream confirmed they were there by calling back, in which he was then told to be at a safe distance as the entrance was being unclogged of rock. So he and Ravage moved to the farthest end from it and their comrades got to work. Thumping and disturbance was made by rocks being discarded, shovelled and dug up, which let in more sunlight to cast blinding rays into the cave. Starscream and Ravage, used to the darkness already, had to guard their optics against the immediate appearance of light. Most to all of the rubble were gotten rid of and when the dust cleared the forms of the Constructicons and other Decepticons could be seen.

Ravage's ears pricked up at the voice of Soundwave and he bounded out of the cave. Starscream, on the other hand, crawled out in between coughs.

"Look what the cat dragged in, haha!" said Skywarp and pointed. He elbowed Thundercracker. "Ya' get it? Ravage the cat. And Starscream the thing he chewed up and spat out."

"You're so funny, Skywarp, I forgot to laugh," said Starscream. He got to his feet and patted himself down. "What the heck took you guys so long anyway? I was suffocating in there."

"The Autobots prevented us from doing so," said Thundercracker. "We had to retreat with what energon we could get during the battle."

"That's no surprise," said Starscream.

"Plus, even after we left the Autobots hung around, repairing collateral damage to the Solar Plant and taking away the wreckage. They were at it well past dark. We didn't receive your distress signal until late nightfall anyhow."

"Huh, typical. Not that I expect much good to come out of Megatron's schemes, including this latest fiasco."

Thundercracker glanced at his torso. "Man, Starscream, you really do look like you got chewed up and spat out literally. What the Pit happened to you?"

"I got wounded, what does it look like?"

"You did a pretty good job fixing yourself. Or did Ravage do that for ya'?" asked Skywarp with suspicion.

Starscream threw him a glare. "That mechanical fleabag doesn't have the skill to repair me. You're stupider than I thought if you assume that."

"I don't know," said Skywarp, scratching his cheek with one finger and putting a hand on his hip, and looked to the sky. "It'd be stupider of me to think you could do everything by yourself with astronomical skill, although you did get yourself trapped inside a cave with effortless skill – OW!"

Starscream punched him on the back of his head. "One more word, Skywarp, and you'll regret it."

"Oh yeah? Try me."

"With pleasure."

"Halt your actions," said their leader who approached them.

"Megatron," Starscream said, lacking enthusiasm in his tone.

"Starscream, I see that you have survived your little accident. Without sustaining _much_ injury. I am pleased to say the least."

"I'm sure you're very joyful and ecstatic to see me alive after so long since my absence."

"I see your sense of humour is still intact as well. But aside from that, you have once again degraded the Decepticon army by your ridiculous antics. And you've endangered one of my soldiers. Lucky for you Ravage made it possible for you to be found."

"You're blaming me for all of this?"

"Of course. You always get yourself into a mess. Now enough time wasting. Head back to the ship. And don't disappear again, if you can."

"Grrr." Starscream watched after Megatron's departing back.

In a less tense reunion, Ravage had his paw inspected with care by Soundwave before he was instructed to return to the tape deck compartment.

The Decepticons, upon entering the Nemesis, went to carry on with their previous duties. Ravage, Rumble and Frenzy were released; the mini 'bots said they wanted to escort their feline brother to the medical bay. So Soundwave took the lead and the cassettes followed.

"Wait," said Starscream. He walked to them.

Ravage turned his head; the twins, on either side of him, faced Starscream.

"What do you want, Starscream?" said Rumble. "Think he hasn't had enough of you yet after spending more than a day with you? Your vocals alone make us fed up with ya'."

"Yeah," said Frenzy, "back off unless ya' want a beating."

But Starscream didn't react to them and only said Ravage's name in acknowledgement. Ravage turned right around. Starscream brought his hand near Ravage's head. Ravage twitched his ears back and up again, then inclined his head toward the hand. Starscream placed it fully on his head, which made Ravage half-close his optics.

Starscream gave a rare sort of smile. "Good boy."

Ravage purred with every stroke.

* * *

Author's Notes: Aw, isn't that so sweet? What the heck was I thinking? lol. I apologise for those of you who have mentally puked into a bucket. But it's sweet sweet puke nonetheless XD. Hope you all enjoyed reading this fluffy one-shot.


End file.
